Archive - Blood in the Machine

One bleak possible future for life after the AI bubble bursts

Jan 2 • Brian Merchant

December 2025

The best books, films and TV about AI + tech in 2025

The Great Blood in the Machine Guide to All Media

Dec 22, 2025 • Brian Merchant

There has to be a way

On the future of art and labor in the age of American AI and authoritarianism.

Dec 18, 2025 • Brian Merchant

"I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry

Copywriters were one of the first to have their jobs targeted by AI firms. These are their stories, three years into the AI era.

Dec 12, 2025 • Brian Merchant

A code red for AI

Sam Altman issued a 'code red' for OpenAI. Meanwhile, political fault lines are widening in the GOP in Washington, and the public is protesting its…

Dec 7, 2025 • Brian Merchant

Journalists win a key battle over AI in the newsroom

PLUS: Artists fight for an AI transparency law in the belly of the beast, a Spotify mass deletion event, and an interview with a top video games…

Dec 3, 2025 • Brian Merchant

A bloody Cyber Monday discount

In which Blood in the Machine attempts its first subscription sale

Dec 1, 2025 • Brian Merchant

November 2025

How to quit Spotify

This Black Friday, here's a guide to finding the best Spotify alternative

Nov 28, 2025 • Brian Merchant

Lost in the slop layer

How AI has encrusted our culture and social sphere in a sedimentary layer of slop.

Nov 24, 2025 • Brian Merchant

Trump and big tech take two more stabs at ending AI democracy

The plot to ban AI lawmaking in the US is back on two separate fronts, and the tech oligarchy is all-in.

Nov 20, 2025 • Brian Merchant

Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' gets the monster right for the age of AI

Too bad he lets the founders off easy.

Nov 15, 2025 • Brian Merchant

How to dis-enshittify the world, with Cory Doctorow

A chat with the SF writer, activist, and author about his world-conquering coinage and how workers can take back the internet.

Nov 10, 2025 • Brian Merchant and Cory Doctorow

1:07:42

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts